The name PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is near-ubiquitous within the online gaming community. Not only is PUBG one of the most popular games in the world, but it was also the breakout battle royale game that directly led to the success of games like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone. Yet it seems like the times are changing and the name PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds no longer serves PUBG Studio's purposes. Regardless of the reasons, PUBG Studio has officially changed the name of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.
The new and somewhat silly name for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is PUBG Battlegrounds. That's right, its full name is technically now PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Battlegrounds, though it's unlikely to ever be referred to its full name ever again. The change was seemingly made overnight with no fanfare or announcement, perhaps because PUBG Studio knew that it was bound to be mocked online and within PUBG's playerbase.
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No explanation was provided for the PUBG Battlegrounds name change, but it should be easy to make some assumptions. The big idea is that PUBG is a much bigger brand than it was when the battle royale first launched, with multiple different games available and in development. As such, it doesn't make sense for the original game to be known as "the" PUBG. It's just a part of PUBG, with PUBG Studio deciding that Battlegrounds captures the nature of the game.
PUBG is now a universe, of which PUBG Battlegrounds is just a part. PUBG Battlegrounds will coexist with other games like PUBG Mobile and upcoming games like PUBG New State and other titles. There's also an animated series being made set in the PUBG universe, as well as a horror game named The Callisto Protocol that probably won't include the PUBG branding. Plus, there are all but certain to be multiple other PUBG projects currently in the works, including PUBG Battlegrounds 2.
One other reason why PUBG Studio is probably moving away from the PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds name is the inclusion of PlayerUnknown's name. He may be responsible for creating the original game, but it's grown well beyond him. He's still recognized in the new name, the PU in PUBG, but the PUBG universe belongs to all of the development team.
It is somewhat of a shame that the original PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has now become just one part of the PUBG universe. It could have been changed to just PUBG rather than PUBG Battlegrounds, which would have been much more respectful not to mention less silly. It just goes to show how much the PUBG brand has grown in the years since the battle royale's release.
PUBG Battlegrounds is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, Xbox One, and mobile devices.
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